Silence of the Mojitos
by Thorn In Your Side
Summary: Secrets. More than Sasuke can handle. Secrets. More than Suigetsu should know. Secrets. More than the world should have. Secrets. More trouble than anything should be.
1. Confusion

Silence of the Mojitos

**Disclaimer: Oh, yeah. I totally own Naruto. In the same way that I own all the other fandoms I've written in, which is to say not at all. At. All. Ever.**

**Sarcasm is fun!**

**  
A/N: This will be the story that I will end up regretting. This will be story to make me wince every time I think of it. This will be the story I have nightmares about because of the detestable plot. This will also be the story that will never let me live it down if gone unwritten. **

**Chapter One: Confusion **

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

_First Wave_

They shove him. He does nothing. They beat him. He bears it. They starve him, stealing his food, and somehow he survives. They hear him muttering in the corner, half-crazed from the pain of being experimented on, they assume. But oh, no such thing, no such thing. He's as sane as you and me, and thinks with a mind twice as sharp. The nitwits in the prison don't think to check, but his eyes shine bright as any star. They twinkle with hidden secrets and scry into souls with their penetrative gaze.

Suigetsu jabbed the old man. "Dude. What the fuck are you _**talking **_about?"

"Quiet! I'm telling the story, ain't I?!"

"Yeah, but you're like, totally screwing it up. What hidden secrets? The only secret I know is that Karin tried to do something to Sasuke a few years ago. And she pays me, like, a truckload every month to keep my mouth shut."

"I said quiet!"

"I said you're screwing it up!"

"Okay. Fine. No hidden secrets."

"Thanks."

"Can I continue?"

"Sure."

The eyes sparkled with mischief and spoke of the truth behind the boy's existence. The truth behind the experiments. The truth behind the prison, the tower, Orochimaru's dark quest, and all that was concealed from the world was locked in the irises of a young lad—

"Oh, from hidden secrets to truths that no one knows. Great job, asswipe."

"SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME TELL THE STORY!!"

"Yes _**sir**_." I may have mentioned it before, but let me refresh your memory: Sarcasm is fun.

The days were dark. The nights were horrid. The stench of despair clung to everything. Orochimaru's village was not a happy place. Its prison and the ominous tower where the experiments were conducted — those places were downright soaked in the misery of many.

A scream penetrated the air, renting it with agony. Pain echoed in the halls of the prison and many woke up panting, their eyes darting around their cells for the remnants of a nightmare. None fell asleep again that night. They waited for dawn to deliver them from the terrible time of contemplation: what sort of experiment could tear such a scream from a person's throat?

The silence stretched on. Dawn came, but the darkness didn't dissipate. Gray clouds marred the sky. Gray spirits pervaded the prison.

And in that prison laid Suigetsu. And from that prison he would break free. And from that prison this story will start.

00000000000000000000000000

_Second Wave_

He sat on the rocks, watching the waves crash all around him. Watching, but not really seeing. The anguish that ripped at his heart also urged him to throw himself into the ocean, throw himself in _**now**_ when only the dark jagged cliffs could see, where the world was focused on him. The black eyes flicked upwards and backwards, flashing red on a whim. Back there…further down the cliffs…he was waiting.

Soft, basalt hair whipped itself into frenzy as the wind howled mournfully along the coast. The world was sorrow. The world was grief. The world was getting really fucking cold, Sasuke decided. Time to head back.

To where he was waiting?

This was one decision he couldn't put off. Procrastination pouted and stormed off in a huff. The sea spray chilled him to his bones and the wind sent shivers down his spine.

To where he was waiting? With a warm fire and a hot meal—not that Sasuke would eat. But he would be there. He would wait till the end of time.

He shuddered, not at the cold. Back there? Where _**he**_ waited with his terrible teeth and terrifying secret?

No. Decidedly not.

000000000000000000000000000000

_Third Wave_

Roast.

The smoky smell bothered Suigetsu. Something wasn't right with it. Something was unnatural with it. He squirmed uncomfortably. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten fish. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten anything but—

No. Sasuke didn't like it, and for Sasuke, he'd eat fish.

Just for tonight. Just to put him at ease.

Tomorrow night was a different matter entirely.

He gazed into the fog rolling in. Darkness had fallen some time ago, but he wasn't concerned. Sasuke would come back. Where else would he go? Orochimaru was dead. Juugo and Karin were dead. Itachi was dead. He only had Suigetsu now. Just…Suigetsu…

A satisfied smile wedged itself onto his lips. Sasuke would see. Sasuke would see that this was alright. Sasuke would love him again. And Suigetsu would be happy again.

All there was to do was wait for Sasuke to come back.

And lemon the roast too, of course. But that was a given.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

'**Silence of the' because I love Hannibal, and mojitos for my father's favorite drink. With mint, white sugar and vodka, but preferably virginal. **

**Urgh. Horror/humor. I hope I didn't eff it up. **


	2. Destruction

Silence of the Mojitos

**Silence of the Mojitos **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto. It kinda sucks, and, uh, stuff. **

**A/N: My grandfather's computer is an asswipe. Sh'yeah. **

**Chapter Two: Destruction**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

_First Wave_

And they screamed and they screamed and they screamed till they couldn't anymore. But they found the will to do so, and screamed yet again. The pain shuddered through them like extreme pain tends to do, and then it stopped abruptly. Orochimaru ran his pale fingers over one of them, a young man of about twenty. Grinning maliciously, he heaved him into a pool. The pool condensed into a mass, and that mass solidified into Suigetsu.

"Your meal."

Hungry eyes strayed to the rest of the group. Orochimaru moved to block his view. "Your meal," he repeated, "Has been delivered to you."

Tender flesh was torn apart by sharp teeth. He drank the man's blood in great, greedy gulps. Oh, the satisfaction was beyond being spoken of. The satisfaction of feasting on human flesh. When Suigetsu fed, he was happy.

"You are completely _**warping **_the tale, you jackass!"

"I am NOT!" the old man countered.

"Well you're definitely not telling it like it was! What the fuck is all this _**satisfaction **_business? I didn't have a choice, asswipe, I ate what I was given—"

"Are you ashamed, you brat? Are you trying to blame Orochimaru for what you do to humans?"

"No! I'm just sayin'…I could've stopped…but he didn't let me, and…"

"And?"

"Tell 'em the story."

"You bet your punk ass, I'll tell them the story."

Bones crunched as his jaws worked. Orochimaru watched, fascinated. Revolted. Transfixed. Eager hands dug through the carcass, pushing aside flesh in search of the hot heart, which went straight into his mouth. A cry of protest worked itself past his lips—he didn't like it raw. He never had. He wasn't a _**beast,**_ he wanted his food cooked. And he didn't want his food with a head. He didn't want to see the face—that was always the worst. The eyes. The eyes that had shined like his. But Orochimaru just pushed harder, exerting his will. His chakra forced the boy into eating. He didn't like it raw. But he hardly had a choice.

00000000000000000000000000000000

_Second Wave_

Humanity stank.

The town was filled with dull people going about their dull lives in daily dullness. Sasuke's will quavered at the thought of it. But then he thought of what he left behind. He thought of Suigetsu, who was certainly exciting.

Dullness wasn't always a bad thing.

He forayed deeper into the streets, wandering aimlessly. Well, not entirely aimlessly—he was looking for an inn. An inn that had beds he could sleep in, an inn that served good food, an inn that would let him gather his wits, to be specific.

There was only one inn in the town. Oh well, you make do with what you have. Sasuke entered, purchased a room, and sank into the moldy bedspread, curling into himself. How long had it been since he'd had a bed—any bed? The last time he'd slept somewhere comfortable was the last time he'd been in Suigetsu's arms…no. Don't think of him. Just thinking of him would be a beacon for the water nin to follow. The last time Sasuke had lain down on a bed was before Orochimaru had been killed. Before Suigetsu and Karin and Juugo and Sasuke had escaped. Before he killed his brother. Before all that.

It seemed like mere hours had passed since Sasuke had heard Kabuto's scream of outrage at finding his master's corpse, hours since he'd fled the tower holding tight to Suigetsu's hand, Karin and Juugo covering their backs. Just hours ago, they'd fought his brother's partner, and Karin and Juugo had died to save Sasuke and Suigetsu. And…and so recently that he could still taste the words on his lips, so recently Suigetsu had told him the secret…all the secrets…as if there weren't enough secrets in this world. As if it wasn't bad enough that his brother had been innocent. As if it wasn't bad enough that Sasuke was a murderer.

As if he could handle any of it.

Of course he'd run. What else could he do? Sasuke was frightened. The _**truths…**_about his brother, his clan, about his lover, Orochimaru, and oh…about the tower…about that gilded door in the tower…they crushed him.

A whimper escaped his lips, and his eyes shut tight. Why wouldn't the world just let him stop existing? Surely there was a limit to the amount of pain in a person's life…the pain he'd inflicted and the pain inflicted on him…surely there was a limit, surely it would all end…

Surely it would stop.

0000000000000000000000000000000

_Third Wave _

Suigetsu heaved the fire, fish and embers into the sea and watched as they sizzled angrily. Anger was boiling in his blood too, anger that raged and stung with the shame of being abandoned.

Sasuke hadn't come back.

How dare he. How dare he leave him behind. Where could he possibly go? It wasn't a rhetorical question anymore—as Suigetsu ran with his long, loping gait across the cliff tops, it was a question that determined his next move. Sasuke, his feet pounded the name into the ground, Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke…

He wouldn't let him go. He loved him too much to leave him alone. He'd been ready to eat fish for him! He'd fought for him, he would die for him! Sasuke had abandoned him. But he wouldn't abandon Sasuke. Sasuke would never be rid of him. No. Never.

A memory…the shadow of a memory…

_**"Doofus."**_

_**"Emo punk!"**_

_**His smile was worth any trouble. Even invoking Orochimaru's wrath. To see that smile, to see that smirk, Suigetsu would go to any length. **_

_**A kiss. Tender and sweet and needy. Hands groping each other's bodies, desperate for contact. **_

_**"I love you, Sasuke."**_

_**"Your boxers are on backwards."**_

_**The pain of the experiments was worth it too. Sasuke was always there when it was Suigetsu's turn. Well…almost always. When it was one of **_those _**experiments…when Orochimaru needed to see him eat…the Uchiha was no where to be seen. **_

_**But that was okay too. Because Sasuke wouldn't smile if he knew what Suigetsu was. **_

__"Sasuke," he whispered to the winds, "Hold on. Wait for me. Don't go away. I'm coming for you."

And, unspoken…_I will kill you before I let you leave me. _

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

**Mmmm. Fish. Ew no wait, I don't like fish. I'm more of a one-meat girl. Chicken rules all! And bacon! 'Kay, so two-meat girl. Deal with it. **


	3. Amalgamation

Silence of the Mojitos

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! **

**Chapter Three: Amalgamation**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

_First Wave_

Orochimaru had a mission. He'd had a mission for nearly twenty years. And he was so close, so tantalizingly close to accomplishing it, and relaying the joyous news to his master when the work was done, when almost two decades of effort came to fruition and he could finally die happy—

"Oh stop it," Suigetsu scoffed, "Quit pulling their leg. You're talking about Orochimaru, not Itachi."

The hermit was ready to take something large and blunt to the boy's head. "What the dickens do you mean?"

"There was no _**master,**_" Suigetsu rolled his eyes, "Orochimaru designated that mission to himself. Just like the white haired pervert embarked on a journey to become the biggest, well, pervert. Just like the giant jug woman swore she'd have the biggest breasts east of Shanghai."

"I don't like you," the old man said flatly.

"The feeling's mutual," Suigetsu said detachedly, "Story."

The breakthrough was imminent—Orochimaru could taste it. He could feel it in his dreams, and it haunted his waking hours. He became ever more obsessed. The man could vaguely sense the result, the thesis, the implications. He could piece together the various outcomes of various experiments and come up with the answer, or what he guessed to be the answer.

He could _**taste **_it. He'd been so close—and then the breakout had occurred. And then he'd been killed.

Immortality. Like some sort of really rude lap dancer, it had teased him, and then removed herself permanently from his grasp.

00000000000000000000000

_Second Wave_

By some will of an unnamed god, Sasuke found the strength to move enough to call the reception for a meal. Blatantly vegetarian, he made sure they knew. He didn't think he could stomach anything more now.

Sasuke knelt on the bed to eat, but couldn't. The miso soup somehow morphed into blood, the ginger strips transformed into cured flesh, and the bread was suddenly skin. Revulsion overcame him, and he threw the tray to the wall in an enraged fit, anguish crashing over him again. After some time he berated himself. He had no money. He had no business breaking things here when he was going to gyp them out of their due payment in any case. Besides, he needed to eat, he needed to move. It would only be so long before Suigetsu showed up here.

That thought sent him careening into a foggy mire of memories. Oh, he was so sick of memories. Memories of his brother, memories of Naruto, and now of Suigetsu? Why couldn't anything good in his life stay put? And if it wouldn't stay put, why did it have to come into his life at all? You couldn't miss what you never knew. Sasuke would gladly exchange his periods of happiness (followed by times of grief so powerful he was surprised it didn't kill him outright) for a life of indifference.

He nearly had.

But Suigetsu had broken through.

_**Soft hair, so nice to touch. Eyes that saw through his barriers, eyes that drew him into sparkling conversation, eyes that held such adoration for him. A Cheshire cat grin that was eternally hinting at innuendo. Strong, capable arms; large, rough hands; long, delicate fingers. **_

_**"Like what you see?"**_

_**"Suppose I say yes. What would you do?" Sasuke had been curious. **_

_**"Bend you over a desk and ram the little general up your—"**_

_**"Stop. Stop! The **__motions, __**stop the motions. I'm sorry I asked."**_

_**"I'm not." The smile was so genuine and warm, Sasuke had been tempted to smile back. He'd resisted that particular temptation, but had soon made up by giving in to him in a totally different way…**_

_**It was so hot, and sweaty, Sasuke figured he'd start melting anytime soon. Suigetsu was a water being, who gave him permission to do such things to the Uchiha's body that set it aflame? Fire element or not, Sasuke was going to die…but Suigetsu was so cool and inviting to touch, he just couldn't stop himself…**_

He buried his face in his hands, ashamed at the arousal that snaked through his body. And he was back at square one.

00000000000000000000000

_Third Wave_

Note: when clots of blood get stuck in water-skin, they crystallize and proceed to hurt _**painfully **_until you dig them out with a knife. And guess what? That shit hurts too.

Suigetsu gnawed on his own thumb as he surveyed the carnage before him. He hadn't meant to kill the warrior. He hadn't even meant to cross paths with anyone until he'd found Sasuke. He hadn't planned on eating any human flesh until he'd met up with the boy either. He could live on rabbit food—or the rabbits themselves—for a few days.

Time to work, in any case.

He decapitated the woman first, and then cut off her hands and feet. Catching the spilt blood in a cup to use as seasoning later, he buried the appendages in the cold earth. There was no need to litter; nature would do a swell job of decomposing unwanted bits. Then, taking a finer knife, he slit her body from the neck to the junction of her legs. He removed her skin with an expert's ease, surreptitiously glancing around in an idiosyncratic manner to assure that he wasn't being watched.

He took out her less edible organs—he'd never cared for a liver, and kidneys were disgusting. The stomach had to go—no way was he eating half digested puke. Spleen, bladder, intestines, and genitals all found their way to a growing pile of discarded parts that sat in the dusky darkness like parts of an incomplete Halloween costume.

Cleanly cutting her flesh into strips, he got a fire going and, after scrutinizing his surroundings and finding no conveniently placed rosemary or thyme bushes (where were they when you needed them?) shrugged and brought out his pouch of spices. It had once belonged to the prison cook, but the man would hardly need it now, what with being dead and all.

Soon, the air was tinged with the tang of meat. Suigetsu's meal was ready. Clever eyes scanned the horizon where there was a tell tale haze of smoke signifying a village. Sasuke would have gone there. It was the closest thing to civilization here in this godforsaken wasteland.

_Just wait for me, babe, _he thought desperately, _Just give me a chance to show you. I'll make you see the light, and believe me when I say you'll love me again. _

But a nasty voice in the back of his head retorted, _As if anyone could ever love you, you big freak. Why would he want you when he doesn't know if he'll be your next meal? _

Why indeed.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

**That 'really rude lap dancer' line is from Jason of cowsgomoo(dot)com. **


	4. Adamant

Silence of the Mojitos

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…and that particulars from politics line is from the book, "Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory McGuire. **

**Chapter Four: Adamant **

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

_First Wave_

Everyone knew what Orochimaru was seeking. It was the method by which he sought it that was unknown. It was the method that was a secret, and it was the method which Suigetsu had been a part of.

It was the method that Sasuke abhorred.

"Stop," Suigetsu said in a strained voice, "Don't…"  
"If I'm going to tell the story, I will have to tell the _**whole **_story. You can't divorce your particulars from your politics." For the first time in days, the hermit's voice was something bordering on gentle.

"Fine. Don't expect me to listen though. I'm going to raid your fridge."

"I'm a hermit you idiot," the irritation was back, "I don't _**have **_a refrigerator!"

"What? Like, not even one?"

There was a door in the tower that everyone, even Kabuto, was forbidden to enter. It was a fabulously glamorous door, all gilded gold and encrusted gems and sandalwood finish. Being situated on the tippy top floor of the tower, which had nothing but the door and a ponderously large window opposite it, and a spiraling metal-grille staircase in the smack center, it wasn't visited often at all. In fact, Sasuke was the only one to come up there beside Orochimaru himself. He came for the window, to harden his heart against his brother. The window offered a stunning panorama of Sound Village. The sheer height was impressive, and the vertigo that accompanied it was worth it. From here you couldn't see the filth and poverty, a must-have accessory for most third world countries, and it might have been mistaken for a quaint tourist stop.

A key phrase. Might have been.

The door itself was stuck awkwardly on the circular wall, and Sasuke's lack of interest had to do with the fact that the wall it hugged had no bulge behind it. The top of the tower was maybe twenty, thirty feet in diameter, as opposed to a whopping eleven hundred feet at the bottom. And to Sasuke it was evident that there was no tangible room beyond that door. If it opened conventionally, it opened to the open air.If t opened unconventionally…

Sasuke had long learnt to not be a curious child. To be concerned with the real world.It was curious concept, seeing how he lusted after hate, which is quite intangible itself.

Reality is not tangible. But the boy would learn that in due course.

"Nothing interested him except his brother and revenge," Suigetsu commented dully, and then perked up, "And me."

"Weren't you going to raid my refrigerator?" asked the old man, who'd gotten used to the idea of telling the story without interruptions.

"You don't have one, remember?"

"There's a pantry in the last cave."

"Oh hell _**yes.**_"

00000000000000000000000000000000000

_Second Wave_

He spent a few hours searching the town in a stupor before it struck him that he did not know what he was searching for. He asked himself—what is it that you want?—and stopped short in his tracks when the answer proved ridiculously hard to find.

What did he want?

_Suigetsu._

Shut up. What did he want?  
_Sui—_shut _**up. **_

A safe place. Somewhere where he was loved and accepted. Somewhere where other people bore the weight of responsibility. Somewhere where he was the protected instead of the protector.

_Suigetsu's arms. _

Oh no, Sasuke told himself, he's out of his equation. Doesn't exist. He's dead. Better yet, he was never alive. Now, what do you want?

_To die._

How ridiculous. How impertinent. Sasuke's breath quickened, as though he'd just run a few hard miles. How patently romantic. As if being without Suigetsu made his life worthless. As if there weren't others who cared for him.

_Who?_

Naruto, of course. Yes, that made sense. Naruto had never given up on him. He would go back to Konohagakure and resume his life he'd led before he'd left. Before his life became a web of poison. Before Suigetsu. Before…bloody…secrets.

But who was there in Konohagakure besides Naruto? The little voice whined on. _No one. _Sakura he would have nothing to offer to, even if she still loved him after all these years of pain and rejection. Kakashi had long ago made his disgust evident. He wracked his head for others he'd been close to. None came to mind.

Naruto would take him in, though.

_Naruto will be an outcast again if he welcomes an Uchiha traitor with open arms. And he will. He'll throw his doors and arms open wide for you to enter, and doom himself. _

So? He could be selfish. He was perfectly capable of being selfish.

_Except there is no point. _

No. There was no point. In his most tender years, the _**point **_of his existence was to ape his brother and to make his father proud. When the latter died by the former's hands, his _**point **_in life was to recreate the clan (even if he found it a repugnant task) and kill his nii-san. Orochimaru had taken care of the first—strands of his DNA were embedded in over a thousand embryos world wide, statistics claimed that at least four hundred would possess the sharingan. Plenty to carry on the family legacy. He'd killed his older brother. Now what was the _**point **_of his existence?

He had his whole life sprawled before him like some impossibly lush valley of possibilities, and he found he had no will to traverse it.

Not with all those secrets weighing him down anyway.

He went from depressed and distressed to stable and suicidal in a frighteningly short time.

A sudden rush of faith moved him to seek a shrine, finding no tree of enlightenment, he chose a Shinto temple. Hoping it wasn't _**too **_sacrilege, he bowed to the pagan gods and thought fiercely of the compassion of the Buddha. Around him people muttered their prayers to their listening deities. The farmer's, the wife's, the sweetheart's, the child's.

"Some rain for the fields…"

"…extra money for the daughter's wedding…"

"I just need him healthy…"

"The dango needs to be sweeter, kami-sama, and I hope my brother falls into a ditch but doesn't hurt himself _**too **_much…"

Sasuke focused all his energy on one thought. _Kill me tonight as I sleep, or I will make your life as difficult as I possibly can. _

Satisfied with his ultimatum, the Uchiha rose and glared briefly at the idols before turning on his heels to return to the inn.

00000000000000000000000000000

_Third Wave_

"Dark haired lad, broody eyes, pale skin?" the offensively broad man scratched his armpit and then squinted at Suigetsu, ponderously picking his nose. "Aye, I've seen him."

"Where?" the cannibal was disgusted by the man. Please, if there was any sort of kami-sama at all, at _**all, **_keeping an eye out for him let him never be forced to eat something half as unsavory as this.

"Came into town all haughty and proud, the pretty little bastard." The man leered unpleasantly at the boy. "Hah! Pretty little bastard. I've fucked every kind of thing there is to fuck. All sorts of women, half as many boys, and twice as many animals. And this pretty little bastard—hah! He spurns me, frosty as you please. Turns away from me, from _**me, **_and walks right into town. I followed him for a while. Went into the inn."

A rage raged in Suigetsu. The ache to kill the repellant creature, against the desperate need to lay sight (hands) on Sasuke as soon as possible. As was usual, the pro-Sasuke feeling won out. He turned away from the man and dashed off into the throngs, looking for the inn. It wasn't awfully hard to find, being the only one in town. The receptionist paused in the urgent act of farting to glower at Suigetsu. "He's out," she said.

"I'll wait."

"Suit yourself."

"Got anything to drink?" the cannibal asked, "I've been traveling. Obviously…"

"Paying customers only."

He shot her a irreverent look and made an irritated noise. He poised himself on the edge of a sinfully uncomfortable wooden slat chair, and waited for his love.

Waited for his arrival.

Waited for his love's arrival, so that he might be able to explain himself, and win back fair lad's heart.

And coax him into buying him water, perhaps. He was so fucking _**thirsty. **_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

**Dude. I'm so...sleepy. **


	5. Desperation

**Silence of the Mojitos **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**A/N: The penultimate chapter, I think. **

**Chapter Five: Desperation **

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

Immortality.

The word has a glorious sort of ring to it, doesn't it? The taste of something desirable, something needed. Something the great lust after, something the weak know only from legend.

Something magnificent.

Suigetsu walked in with a stunned expression. "He's waking up."

The hermit looked up sharply. "Sasuke?"

"No, the queen. _**Of course **_Sasuke!"

The hermit shot up off his rocking chair and rushed past him. "Did you apply the salve, like I showed you? His burns—"

"He won't let me touch him," Suigetsu mumbled sheepishly. The old man turned, and his eyes widened. He laid a wrinkled hand on the teen's shoulder.

"I'll look out for him. For you too. You may be a brat, but at least you're sincere about it."

"Thanks?"

"I'll let you have some time to prepare the words of groveling gratitude I actually deserve."

Suigetsu snorted. "That'll be the day."

Sasuke tossed in a quagmire of half-slumber, groaning incomprehensibly. The hermit shooed Suigetsu out, more to keep the water being's distress at a low ebb than because he was distracting him. Taking a small rowan bowl of gooey mix, he slathered it onto the gas burns on Sasuke's body. The alabaster skin, he mused, would always bear scars of this incident. But perhaps the boy's mind might be healed. If only he would see past Suigetsu's silly exterior. If only he could grasp the extent of the love the idiot boy held for him.

He paused to let the Uchiha roll over again, eyeballs moving worriedly under closed eyelids, words falling from unconscious lips. There should be nothing; the hermit thought sadly, that could make such a young boy so upset. The worst he ought to feel was the heartbreak of being stood up. Yet here he was, writhing in a nightmare even the hermit, with his decades of experience with all things unpleasant could not fathom.

_**The world was steady. But Sasuke was swimming through it. He'd never liked swimming, so why was he doing it now? Why couldn't he stop?**_

_**Wide, weird plains. Arching vistas of desolation. Loneliness howled across the grasses, and Sasuke shivered. Whispers in his ear told him things they had no business making him listen to. He didn't want to, he didn't want to, but they were talking…**_

___"The secret to immortality, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru's voice hissed as if through ether, "Would you like to know?"_

_**No…no…**_

___Suigetsu spoke. "A person's soul, babe. You gotta eat a person's…soul…"_

_**Oh please no…**_

___They chorused. "That's what happened in the tower, Sasuke. Suigetsu/I ate humans. Their bodies, trying to find a way to eat their souls. We tore their hearts apart, looking for it. We picked their brains, looking for it."_

_**Why? He didn't want to hear this, he didn't want to hear this, he didn't want immortality! Suigetsu's face loomed in front of him, sweet and smiling. He reached out to Sasuke, to hold him and cuddle him and save him. **_

_**"Sasuke," he whispered, "Babe…"**_

_**Sasuke reached back, reached for those arms with a strangled sob. "Suigetsu, please—"**_

_**He smiled. **_

_**The teeth flashed. **_

_**Sasuke screamed as they bit into his flesh. Into his soul. He felt Suigetsu all around him, but it was so utterly frightening, it was nothing remotely comforting. Suigetsu was consuming him, and Sasuke wasn't dying, he was fading from Sasuke to Suigetsu, becoming part of the lattice work that was the water ninja's body. **_

__His eyes fought to open, but all he could see was blackness. He mewled desperately, pathetically, scrabbling at his eyes—he wasn't blind, thank god. Drops of grief had simply glued his eyes shut. He rubbed at them hard, taking the pain as proof of his existence. A hand guided his hands away and he recoiled from what was surely Suigetsu's touch. But the voice didn't match, nor the words it was saying, and when he opened his eyes, the hand holding his was baby soft and withered, with liver spots. He fell back with a groan of relief.

"Just you relax, child, and let me apply the rest of this salve to your body. Aye, you relax. I won't hurt you, child, and you just lie there and let me tend to your wounds."

"Who…brought me here…?"

"The little white haired brat did. Was worried sick about you, he was. No, no," the old man tutted as Sasuke struggled to get up, "No, he's not here right now. Listen to me, child, lay back. That's right. You're wounded, child, in body and mind, and I can fix the latter better than the former, so just relax. I'll fetch you valerian root in a bit. Sleep, aye, but a dreamless sleep."

_He sure talks a lot, _Sasuke thought, _But at least he's not Suigetsu. _

00000000000000000000000000

_Second Wave_

The boy was distraught.

Discouraged.

Despairing.

Drowning in damnable doubt.

Suigetsu was keeping guard.

How had he not learnt to never underestimate the water being? Even with just Sasuke nagging at him, Suigetsu had been a prodigious worker for all his semblance of laziness. With Sasuke as motivation, it was a wonder the Uchiha wasn't trussed up and being raped right now.

He needed his room to kill himself. He'd hit upon the perfect way. A jutsu from Orochimaru's personal archives. Gas fire. No smoke, no smell, no harm done to anyone but Sasuke.

And Suigetsu was keeping guard.

It wasn't as if his room had any windows, either. The inn was awkwardly designed, with twenty nine rooms and only five windows. Two on the bottom floor, in the reception. Three with the occupied pent houses. Sasuke was _**not **_jumping in like that. No way, no how.

He circled the building again, marveling that Suigetsu hadn't—I dunno, smelt him, sensed him, felt him. The palpable tension set his nerves ablaze. He was excited, and also a little angry. Certainly, if Suigetsu had been hovering here outside, and he was sitting inside, he would be able to tell that his lover was in the same, stupid village as he was—

"Heya, babe."

A shriek began to rent the air, but Suigetsu caught it in his lips and it quickly turned into a moan.

"I've missed you, babe."

Sasuke was falling all over again. The arms, the embrace, the kiss, the man.

"You just up and left me like that. Aren't you heartless? I'd made fish. Fucking _**fish. **_You know I hate seafood. And you just run away. Kiss," he commanded, and Sasuke automatically pressed his lips against his. Something clicked in his head though. Something important.

_Suigetsu was a cannibal. _

"Ah," he said. "Ah." He pushed away, stumbled away, fell away and out. He turned and ran. He dove into the first house he saw, and dashed up the stairs—knowing Suigetsu was following—throwing jutsu wildly around him to prevent pursuit—releasing his chakra to ignite the gas—this room, it would do—the containment words—the release of the gas, the combustion, the endearing pain…

The darkness.

0000000000000000000000000

_Third Wave_

What the fuck?

What the fuck?

What. The. FUCK?

Why would he want to kill himself? Suigetsu's mind reeled with the impossibility of it. Sasuke was perfect. He was perfect. Why would anyone want to extinguish that? Sure he'd had a rough patch. Sure these were bad times. But he had Suigetsu to steer him through! _**What the fuck was he doing? **_

__The fire was so strange, unlike any he'd put out before. It singed him, which had never happened before, and irritated him, which always happened before. He grunted as he heaved Sasuke over his shoulder. What was the idiot thinking? Thirty seconds it took for Suigetsu to catch up. It wasn't enough time for any fire to kill a man. Especially not a fire-user, an Uchiha.

The gas was poison.

Sasuke didn't wake up.

Suigetsu screamed through the night.

The hermit found him. The hermit told him who he was. Suigetsu agreed to follow him to his home deep underground. A series of caves carved by fire. Suigetsu was uncomfortable. But he would bear with it, because the old man could heal Sasuke.

"Now, let's tell your story, brat."

"I have a name, jackass."

"Nice to meet you, Jackass. You must've had awful parents."

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**


	6. Salvation

**Silence of the Mojitos**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!  
A/N: Ahhhh, me. I can start a new story. :fights with Inner Self as to start the Bartimaeus one or the Douglas Adams one: **

**Chapter Six: Salvation **

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

_Tsunami_

Sasuke stared. And stared, and stared, and stared.

Tears pricked his eyes. "I…"

"Love…" Suigetsu breathed.

"You…" the other boy finished.

"When I told you," the water user began.

"You didn't mean to do any harm…"

"I thought you needed to know…"

"I didn't know what I was thinking…"

"…trying to _**kill **_yourself…?"  
"Stupid of me…"

"You're mine."

"And you're mine."

"And I'm lost," the hermit said, "What the hell?"

Suigetsu whooped with delight, and hugged them both. The one on the bed, the one in chair, together he crushed them to his chest in boundless, reasonless love. "We're back together, you old ass!"

Sasuke nodded. Suigetsu laughed. The old man sighed.

"We need to finish the story."

He was the Keeper of Truth. The title wasn't just grand sounding, it was true. There wasn't a fact in the world that escaped his notice. He was the soothsayer of the shinobi system. His name was lost to his job. He had under his power the whispers of eons waiting to be revealed.

He would heal their minds.

Suigetsu had been cynical.

"Oh, so its just that simple? You wave your hand and everything's fine and dandy?"

"Yes."

"That's…wonderful."

"Yes, yes it is. I'm wonderful."

Suigetsu had narrowed his eyes at the man. "Stuck up old—"

"Suigetsu," Sasuke's voice had cut in wearily, "If there's a possibility I can forget all this, I want to here it. Do me a favor and shut up."

"Whatever. Hey, can I call you Keeps?"

"No."

The old man outlined his plan. He had many, many secrets at his disposal. He would simply harvest certain secrets from their minds—the method to achieve immortality, the Uchiha clan's horrors—and replace them with milder secrets, softer truths that would allow Konoha to accept them back. Sasuke had made it clear he had amends to make. And amends were made there, where heartbreak festered still from his actions.

"My brother," Sasuke had said. "I don't want to remember him as a villain."

"You want me to keep that truth in your head?" the Keeper had said doubtfully.

"I want you to find another clan with a better reason for why he did what he did."

The hermit sighed. "As you wish."

"Why are you doing this for us?" Suigetsu asked, instinctively wary of kindness.

"Not for you, dear me, do you think I've nothing better to do than sit around all day dabbling in happy endings? Only you would be so stupid to think that. Only a child would have enough faith in the world to go through what you've gone through, and still believe a stranger is doing something out of the goodness of his heart."

"Rub it in, why don't you?"

"It's a compliment, Sui," Sasuke laughed at him. The thought of losing his darkest memories had put him in a good mood, and better health. His lover reveled in the nickname that had been recently bestowed upon him. _Sui. _Water. Love. Sasuke.

"Some compliment."

"I can't have the secret to immortality in the minds of folks like you," Keeps had explained, "It won't do. Oh, I know you don't want it. Personally, I don't see why anyone would. Seventy years and a score I've served as Keeper of Truth, and I'm waiting for my apprentice still. I can't die until I pass on my trade, you know. This life is punishment enough, I can't imagine living in this hell forever. No, the reason I can't have this truth in the world is because people will always come looking for it. People too stupid to realize that Death is a friend. People who fail to see that it's not Death they fear, but pain. The afterlife. What have you."

"I don't remember asking for a lesson in philosophy, Keeps."

"Don't call me that!"

"Sui, shut _**up**_."

The water lover glowered at both of them, and then pulled the dark haired boy into a hug. He waved at the old man to go on.

"People will try to torture it out of you. So this is why I remove the truth from your minds. And because it'll be easier for people to overlook you if you're settled—not out adventuring and making a name for yourself—I'm replacing those truths with something that will get you a home."

"And, about me being a…"

"Cannibal? You became one under Orochimaru's tutelage. There's nothing tying you to it. The addiction will be cured when you no longer remember having it."

Sasuke had never smiled wider. Suigetsu had never laughed harder.

A few weeks later, Naruto received the shock of his life when his best friend tumbled through his window on the arms of a boy sucking at a thermos bottle.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke said cheerfully, "What's up, buddy?"

A few months later, Tsunade declared to an ecstatic village that its prize Uchiha had been absolved of all guilt and traitorous accusations due to exceptional circumstances, and that those circumstances could be read about in the next day's newspaper.

A few years after that, Naruto took up the Hokage mantle, and within a few months, Sasuke and Suigetsu got married.

And for many years after that, happiness was all that was found.

"And did the Keeper of Truth find his Apprentice?"

Of course I did. It took some time, but you're here now.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

**Oh mi gosh its over. –lower lips trembles- Oh, I loved this story. I really did. I can die happy, having written it. Oh mi gosh, depression. **

**-goes to read something funny- **


End file.
